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Louis Françoisof France,Duke of Anjou^[1] (14 June 1672 – 4 November 1672) (French: Louis François de France) (Spanish: Luis Francisco de Francia) was the sixth child, youngest child, youngest son and third son of KingLouis XIV of France and his wife, QueenMaria Theresa of Spain. As such he was aFils de France and aPrince ofFrance. As the son ofMaria Theresa of Spain he wasInfante ofSpain. Louis François was one of five children who died in infancy, except for his eldest brother,Louis, le Grand Dauphin. Infant Louis died at the age of 4 months and 21 days old (approximately 20 weeks). The death of Louis may have been due toinbreeding.

Louis François was born on 14 June 1672 at theChâteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, nearParis. He was created Duke of Anjou at birth, a title previously vacant since the death of his older brother,Philippe Charles, who had died the previous year. At court everyone called himThe second Duke of Anjou. The birth of the Duke of Anjou was a relief to the king and queen, who had lost four children.

As a younger son ofLouis XIV, Louis François was not expected to become theDauphin.

At the time, France was atwar with the Spanish Netherlands, and even while on the battlefield, King Louis XIV was concerned about his son and wrote toMadame de La Motte fromUtrecht in July: "I am glad to hear that my son, the Duke of Anjou, is in good health. I hope it will continue."

But the Prince's health soon showed signs of deterioration most likely ofinbreeding as his parents were first cousins. The king remotely approved that his son's wet nurse be Màrie d' Velntion who moved to France.

Despite the care, the little prince's health did not improve. He was hastily baptized on 1 November and given the first nameLouis François Charles. He died on 4 November 1672 at the age of four months at theChâteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The king wrote to thePrince of Condé on 7 November : " My cousin, the sole subject of this letter is the loss we have suffered of my son, the Duke of Anjou. "

He was buried in theBasilica of Saint-Denis,^[2] while his heart was buried in the abbey ofVal-de-Grâce. Thus in fifteen months the King lost three of his children. Mourning was not worn for children under seven, and signs of grief would be considered a lamentable weakness if continued beyond a few days. Died as an infant, the young Louis-François does not appear in any portraits. While medical treatments and choices may have contributed to sending the royal couple's children to the grave, the kinship of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria as first cousins certainly played a role, given the children's fragile physical condition.^[3]

• 14 June 1672 – 4 November 1672 :His Royal Highness the Duke of Anjou

Louis François's paternal grandparents wereLouis XIII andAnne of Austria, he was descended, on his mother's side, fromPhilip IV of Spain andÉlisabeth of France. Louis XIII and Élisabeth de Bourbon were siblings (the children ofHenry IV of France andMarie de' Medici), as were Anne of Austria and Philip IV, who were the children ofPhilip III of Spain andMargaret of Austria. That means that he had only four great-grandparents instead of the usual eight, and that his double-cousin parents had the same coefficient of co-ancestry (1/4) as if they were half-siblings.

Book

• Maxtone-Graham, Margaret Ethel Blair Oliphant (1915)."Chapter X".Children of France. New York, E.P. Dutton and Co. p. 167.

Web pages

• Geeraert, Anaïs (3 April 2019)."Louis-François, duc d'Anjou, fils de Louis XIV".Histoire et Secrets. Retrieved10 November 2024.
• Alexandre Lenoir."Les coeurs et entrailles des reines princes et princesses au val de grace (avant 1793)".Saint Denis Tombeaux (in French). Retrieved10 November 2024.

• 1672 births
• 1672 deaths
• Dukes of Anjou
• Princes of France (Bourbon)
• French royalty who died as children
• Sons of kings
• Children of Louis XIV
• People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye
• Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis

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